Sunday, June 17, 2012

Father's Day

11th Sunday
in Ordinary Time

Holy FamilyAssumption ChurchFairfield CT*

Today the Church returns to
what is known as Ordinary time, that period of the liturgical year that is not
associated with the great feasts of Christmas and Easter. The priest dons a
green colored vestment that will be worn for practically every Sunday until the
start of the Season of Advent. Ordinary comes from a Latin word and doesn’t
exactly mean what we mean by ordinary but still, most of the readings in
Ordinary time will remind us of the ordinary, seemingly insignificant details
of everyday life.

Today’s first reading from
the book of the prophet Exekiel speaks of a tender shoot that the Lord plucks
off a great cedar tree and plants it among his people. It will itself grow into
a mighty tree, offering sustenance and shelter to those who seek refuge in its
branches. Of course, this botanical imagery is just meant to be a metaphor for
how God calls upon all of us to grow and bear great fruit in our lives.

Jesus uses the same imagery
in today’s gospel when he says, “this is how it is with the Kingdom of God.”

It
is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

Is
the smallest of all the seeds of the earth.

But
once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants…

Like Ezekiel Jesus is calling
on little, ordinary people like ourselves to put forth large branches and bear
much fruit.

Just last week we buried one
such a person in my home parish. His name was Theodore, which coincidentally
means God’s gift, but everyne called him Ted. He was a small, unassuming, and
quiet spoken man who rarely talked about himself but he was one of the most
giving men I have ever known.

At the funeral I saw an old
black and white marriage photo. Ted, who served in World War II, was in uniform
next to his young Italian war bride who had sown her beautiful white wedding
gown out of Ted’s parachute. I never met his wife because she died shortly
before I met Ted, but I know that he loved her until the day he died. They had
four or five children and all were there at the funeral with a number of
grandchildren. One of the grandchildren gave a brief eulogy in which he
described all the things his grandfather had taught him.

Ted was an avid gardener and
wine maker but by profession he was a master electrician who worked at his
trade right until his final illness struck. My wife and I originally met him in
an Italian language class but he subsequently became a friend as well as our
electrician. I will never forget the night our electricity went out during a violent
ice storm. Ted came to the house, climbed a ladder, and repaired a broken power
line in the midst of the storm. The only problem we ever had with Ted was that
he was always reluctant to accept payment from friends. There was a large crowd
in the Church at his funeral and I’m sure that most had also been the
recipients of Ted’s generosity.Ted will never be canonized but he was one of
the multitude of ordinary men who loved their families, their church, and their
country.

In today’s second reading St.
Paul speaks of courage. He says that even though our real home is not here, we
must live our lives as best we can here on earth. We must be courageous. Isn’t
it fitting that today’s readings about little, ordinary people should occur on
Father’s Day. I know that we all have our different vocations in life, and I do
not wish to slight anyone, but it takes real courage to be a father. It takes
real courage to make a commitment to give up your own wants in order to live
for your wife and children.

In today’s world when even
the idea of Fatherhood is maligned, it is very important that we do all we can
to support those who have accepted the challenge. Here is a little prater for
fathers.

Our
Father in Heaven, we thank you for all the fathers on earth who,

like
St. Joseph, accept the responsibility to care for and love their children.

May
you strengthen them with the kindness, patience and wisdom they need

to
encourage and guide their children.

May
they be supported by a steadfast wife, a caring family and good friends.

Most
of all, may they know that you and you alone are the source of all that is